Menomonee Falls, Wis. — Alto-Shaam, a foodservice equipment manufacturer, announces several new hires.
Paul Demczak – Director of Product Management
Alto-Shaam welcomes Paul Demczak as director of product management. Paul is responsible for strategic development of the new Vector™ Series Multi-Cook Ovens and will lead other product development projects for the company.
Paul has 20 years of experience in product management, including five years managing a product line for another commercial foodservice equipment manufacturer. In addition to his background in the foodservice industry, Paul has experience working with computer interface systems. He most recently worked for SSI Technologies Inc. in Janesville where he led multi-functional new product development teams.
John Gruver – Senior Regional Culinary Manager, Northeast
Alto-Shaam welcomes John Gruver as a senior regional culinary manager in the northeast. John is responsible for supporting the company’s demand creation efforts through education, solution development, and specification of Alto-Shaam products, which includes support of A Taste of Alto-Shaam demonstrations. John’s leadership experience and culinary skills will help drive Alto-Shaam’s sales strategies in the northeastern United States.
John has worked in the foodservice industry for over 20 years, holding executive chef, management and consulting roles in a variety of markets throughout the United States. He most recently worked as consultant for a New York grocery store chain where he successfully created sandwich, pizza, salad, and hot food programs with updated pricing and packaging, developed standard operating procedures, enhanced and upgraded the menu offerings, and trained store managers and team members on all of the new programs.
Kari Fulton – Vice President of National Accounts-Retail
Alto-Shaam welcomes back Kari Fulton as vice president of national accounts-retail. Kari is responsible for the development and implementation of strategies that will increase sales and profits from retail customers. Kari will evaluate market opportunities, develop account strategies, and communicate and implement sales plans while working to meet both national account growth objectives and customer expectations.
Kari has held various positions in sales management and business development within the foodservice industry. Most recently, Kari was a regional sales manager for a walk-in cooler manufacturer. In this position, she was responsible for handling dealer networks and direct sales in various segments including supermarkets, convenience stores and small volume foodservice across the northeast and Canada. In addition to previous Alto-Shaam experience, Kari has developed strong relationships with dealers, chain accounts and consultants to provide customizable foodservice equipment system solutions for customers in the United States.
Tim Murphy – Product Specialist
Alto-Shaam welcomes Tim Murphy as a product specialist. Tim is responsible for supporting the commercialization of the new Vector™ Multi-Cook Ovens. Tim assists with startups and conducts rep group trainings as the new product category is introduced to the market. He also assists in demand creation initiatives.
Tim was a field marketing specialist at Appliance Innovation before joining Alto-Shaam. In this position, he was part of a team of engineers and restaurant professionals who developed Vector Multi-Cook Ovens. At Appliance Innovation Tim also filled roles in sales and sales support. Tim has diverse and extensive experience in the foodservice industry holding director and management positions with Aramark, Compass and Marriott International.
Bob Dellert – Vice President of National Accounts-Foodservice
Alto-Shaam welcomes Bob Dellert as vice president of national accounts-foodservice. Bob is responsible for the strategic development for chain account growth, focusing on the new Vector™ Multi-Cook Oven the company acquired from Appliance Innovation in January. Bob works to meet sales growth objectives as Alto-Shaam targets chain accounts with this new technology.
Before joining the Alto-Shaam team, Bob was the senior director of strategic accounts at Appliance Innovation where he was actively involved in developing, marketing and selling the Vector oven. Bob is well connected and respected in the foodservice industry, bringing an ability to forge strong relationships with manufacturer’s representatives, dealers, consultants, and national chain management executives. He previously worked for several foodservice equipment manufacturers, developing key relationships with chain accounts.
To learn more about Alto-Shaam, visit www.alto-shaam.com.
About Alto-Shaam, Inc.
Alto-Shaam’s corporate headquarters, worldwide manufacturing facility, Culinary Institute and Technical Institute are based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. For more than 60 years, Alto-Shaam has been a recognized leader and innovator in the global commercial foodservice equipment industry. With a core business in primary cooking equipment, Alto-Shaam offers an expanded product portfolio that includes award-winning Combitherm® ovens, Vector™ Multi-Cook ovens, Halo Heat® Cook & Hold ovens, Cook & Hold smoker ovens, heated holding technologies, heated display and merchandising solutions, QuickChiller™ rapid chill units, rotisserie ovens, convection ovens, and drop-in hot and cold wells. Alto-Shaam is also the industry leader in providing integrated food production systems for cook/chill, banqueting and rethermalization applications.
Source: Alto-Shaam, Inc.
